Welcome Visitors to Your Farm This Summer with these Agritourism Resources

Agritourism in Vermont continues to grow as farms diversify their businesses. Vermont Fresh Network just completed a four-year USDA grant devoted to strengthening agritourism in Vermont. We've seen first hand the growth of on farm experiences in our state over the last 10 years.

Whether your farm is new to agritourism or already welcomes visitors to your farm here are some resources for you.

This agritourism self-assessment workbook, developed by VFN and the University of Vermont Extension, is designed to help farmers determine whether agritourism is right for their lifestyle and farm. This is a great place to start if you're considering whether offering agritourism activities aligns with your goals and needs!

The University of Vermont Extension and VFN produced this regulation navigation checklist, to help farmers offering agritourism activities understand the permits, land use regulations, and other logistics to take into consideration while developing their agritourism infrastructure.

If your farm hosts agritourism activities - including a public farm stand, you-pick, farm stays, tours, and workshops - it is important for you to have proper ACT 31 signage. Act 31 (H.89)  establishes a limitation on liability for agritourism hosts. The act acknowledges that there are “inherent risks” in participating in agritourism activities and shifts those risks to properly warned consumers. Signs are now available - click here to order yours!

DigInVT is a collaborative marketing platform managed by Vermont Fresh Network, designed to help members of the public find authentic food and farm experiences around the state. Members of Vermont Fresh Network and/or any of the DigInVT partner associations can qualify for a listing in the Places directory. DigInVT places can also use the DigInVT events calendar to share and promote special events, and may be featured in seasonal content on DigInVT's social media channels, digital newsletter, and/or blog content.

2024 is the 10th anniversary of Vermont Open Farm Week! Open Farm Week (August 4-11, 2024) creates an opportunity for folks to visit farms and connect with Vermont's working landscape, and it's a great way to engage with your customers and community. Farms can choose to offer a single event, or multiple events throughout the week. This can be a useful way to experiment with agritourism without committing to ongoing programs or offerings. Click here to learn more about Open Farm Week, and get involved.

Business planning is critical for any type of enterprise, and agritourism is no exception. Hosted in November of 2023 by Vermont Fresh Network and University of Vermont Extension, this webinar covered key steps for business planning and introduced a new online tool. Presenters and panelists provided a general overview of business planning for agritourism, and shared resources and next steps.

The University of Vermont Extension agritourism collaborative has a variety of resources for farms and businesses practicing agritourism - visit their website for more information.

Vermont Fresh Network is a non-profit organization that has been connecting farms, chefs, specialty food & beverage producers, and the greater public for 28 years. We also have a long history of supporting Vermont's growing agritourism sector. VFN members have access to a variety of member benefits, including peer-to-peer networking, professional development and resources, marketing support, and more! Join VFN as an agritourism member here.